Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an order to remove equipment from the Temple Mount’s Gate of Mercy site and to disallow prayer there.

The structure was recently furnished and renovated with the goal of using it as permanent prayer area for Muslims. The Waqf, the authority that oversees Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem announced it also appointed an imam for the site.

Following recent illegal activity on the Temple Mount, Israeli police arrested the Waqf authority head and other Waqf leaders. This is not enough. Israel needs to enforce order WITHOUT COMPROMISE and not allow a Muslim takeover.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded as follows: “The ‘absurdity theater’ of the Human Rights Council has produced another hostile, false and biased report against the State of Israel…based on false information in which the facts were not even examined and whose sole purpose is to discredit the only democracy in the Middle East and to harm its right to self-defense against the terror of a murderous organization.”

Katz concludes with, “No party can deny Israel the right to self-defense and the duty to protect its residents and borders from violent attacks. Those who push Gaza residents into fences, including women and children, are Hamas, whose declared goal is the destruction of the State of Israel and are thus the ones responsible.”

The Anti-Defamation League, AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee and the Israel Policy Forum were all quick to condemn Otzma Yehudit’s merger with the Jewish Home Party. This was a move by PM Netanyahu to boost his right-wing coalition ahead of April 9 elections. Words such as ‘racist’, ‘Judeofacists,’ ‘reprehensible’ and having ‘hate-filled rhetoric’ were used to describe Otzma Yehudit.

Noticeably absent: not one word was stated about mergers on the Israeli left, especially among Israeli-Arab parties, who oppose the existence of the Jewish state.

To denounce Otzma Yehudi members with hateful stereotyped rhetoric is pure blasphemy. American Jewish organizations should stay out of Israeli politics, allowing PM Netanyahu and the Israeli citizenry to determine their own path.

Earlier this week the Yesha Council applied pressure with an appeal to American Magen David Adom (MDA) donors to not allow ambulance stations to be closed. The Yesha Council planned to post ads concentrating on Jewish media in America.

MDA’s planned closure of ambulance stations in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley this weekend would have left these large areas without adequate emergency medical care.

A source of national pride for Israel, this historic endeavor of Space IL’s launch is privately funded. It will also be the least expensive launch to the moon paving the way for commercially viable travel to the moon. Successful lift off from Cape Caneveral, Florida took place Thursday night.

Beresheet spacecraft was placed in Earth orbit, then begins a seven-week trip under its own power to reach the Moon and touch down on April 11 in a large plain.

Keeping track: Beresheet successfully completed its first maneuver toward the moon after detaching from its launcher and completing its planned orbit of Earth.

A gate serving to block the entrance of a section of the Temple Mount closed by Israel since 2003, has been removed by PA protestors.

This recent “flare-up” does not bode well for Israel and shows a”chipping away” of the Temple Mount for the Jewish people. Will Israel assert itself as having rights to control this area of the Temple Mount? Or will the status quo remain?

This latest calculated move was initiated by the new and more radical waqf council writes Nadav Shragal. Their goal is to challenge Israel’s closure of this site so it can reassert its control over the entire Temple Mount compound.

The status quo cannot continue. Israel must enforce its legal rights at the Temple Mount.

A reminder to our readers that HALIBA is the Israeli umbrella organization working “to re-claim for Jews the basic civil rights of free access, free worship, and free congregation on the Temple Mount.” HALIBA is an acronym for Hebrew, HaMeizam L’Khofesh Yehudi B’Har HaBayit – The project for Jewish freedom on the Temple Mount. Often referred to as The Temple Mount Heritage Foundation, it is led by its founder Yehuda Glick. The Israel Independence Fund (an organizatiion AFSI is closely aligned with) works with HALIBA to promote full Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount.

Women in Green leaders Yehudit Katzover and Nadia Matar emphasize the campaign is unaffiliated with any specific party and that no political officials on behalf of any party are behind it.

US Congressmen Dr. Andy Harris (R-MD) and Andy Barr (R-KY) visited Oz V’Gaon this week. Katsover and Matar spoke to them about the establishment of the reserve as a Zionist response to the 2014 murder of three teens and especially the importance of applying Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Read about what was said HERE.

When the anti-Israel “Combatants for Peace” announced it would protest Israel’s alleged annexation of Area C (Israeli controlled part of Judea and Samaria) the Sovereignty Movement, immediately responded. They mobilized a large group of people to attend a lecture by writer and Knesset candidate Caroline Glick at the Oz veGaon nature reserve in Judea, outside of Gush Etzion, to “prevent the continuing Arab takeover of Area C.”

The Sovereignty Movement is an offshoot of Women in Green, which is headed by Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar,